The Controversy:
Wine or Grape Juice for
Passover?
The beginning of the annual Sabbaths starts
with Passover which is that special time of the year wherein we observe the
memorial of the impalement of the Savior, Yahshua. Passover has been mistakenly
called “the L-rd’s Supper,” and erroneously kept more than once a year. The
true body of Messiah properly observes this ceremony once a year, in the spring.
The drink is not specifically mentioned, but simply referred to by Yahshua as
“the cup” or “the fruit of the vine” and is understood to represent the shed
blood of the Savior.
This raises the question, which is the
proper emblem to represent the blood of Yahshua our Savior? The original
Passover account of Exodus 12 specifies no drink to be taken at all. Only the
flesh of the lamb, unleavened bread and bitter herbs made up the meal. The
blood of the lamb was smeared on the doorposts and the lintels of
It was only later the custom of drinking
the fruit of the vine at the Passover was added to the Passover observance. The
fruit of the vine for Passover was not commanded by Yahweh, but was introduced
by the Jews, most likely after their return from
In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening,
is Yahweh's Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast
of unleavened bread to Yahweh; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.
(Leviticus 23:5-6 RSV)
The four evangels relate that Yahshua and
the disciples had “the fruit of the vine” at the Passover table. From the
account we are given, the cup was not used until Yahshua offered it to the
disciples. There is nothing in the Old Testament which tells us anything about
wine in the “drink offerings” or any custom which was developed in connection
with or being used at Passover. This is a human tradition.
THE FIRST PASSOVER
Anciently,
So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading
bowls being bound up in their mantles on their shoulders. (Exodus 12:34 RSV)
For the next seven days the two or three
million Israelites were on the move toward the Promised Land and had no time to
stop and allow their bread to be leavened. In commemoration of this time,
Yahweh’s people continue to eat only unleavened bread for the seven days of the
feast.
Unleavened bread is made without yeast or
salt. The flour is mixed with water or milk and perhaps olive oil and baked
before it is allowed to ferment into “sourdough” bread. It is known as
“unleavened” because no leaven or “starter” of leavening was added. Usually
bread is allowed to ferment which makes it rise and then is baked which stops
the fermenting process. Leavened bread is sweeter and softer to chew. Even
though baking would halt the fermenting process, the bread would still be
considered as leavened. Most breads are leavened with
yeast in our culture, and during the days of unleavened bread we avoid anything
containing yeast, baking powder, etc. including cakes, cookies, and breads.
Leaven is interpreted by some to stand for
sin, wickedness and corruption. However, Yahshua compared leaven equivalent to
a doctrine or teaching which could lead one to sin in His dissertation with His
disciples. Notice that Yahshua referred to the Kingdom as leaven! Certainly the
Kingdom could not have sin, wickedness and corruption! He then explains later
that He meant teaching or doctrine:
Another parable spoke He unto them:
"The
How is it that you fail to perceive that I did not speak about bread?
Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then they understood
that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching
of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 16:11-12 RSV)
The days of Unleavened Bread, then, are a
time to examine our doctrine and seek the assurance that our beliefs are based
on the Bible. Partaking of the Passover meal with brethren of like faith joins
our hearts and goals with others who are also seeking the Kingdom. However, we
want to make certain that we are doing everything properly and according to
Yahweh’s word. Which brings us to the question, what is the contents of the
cup, is it wine or grape juice?
WINE IN FOUR LANGUAGES
The four words which are used most
frequently are in the English wine, Hebrew, yayin; Greek; oinos; and Latin vinum. All four
related words are used to refer to the juice of grapes, either fermented or
unfermented. For example, a winepress brings forth grape juice, not wine. A
cider press brings forth apple juice, not cider; yet both wine and cider
presses refer to the ultimate product, wine and cider. Fermentation takes place
later.
SOME MISCONCEPTIONS
The argument is made by some that
fermentation of the grape juice purifies it as it kills or allegedly takes out
the leaven which is in the grape. This fermentation changes the sugars to
alcohol which supposedly makes wine the acceptable symbol for Yahshua’s blood.
Ripe grapes carry albumen which is located
in the lining of the skin and in the envelope of the seeds of the grape.
Fermentation can be prevented by separating the albumen which contains the
fermenting agents known as ferments or yeast. By careful procedures, the juice
of the grapes can be separated from the fermenting pulp. This was done
anciently be either filtration or gentle pressing.
Contrary to popular belief, ripe grapes
left in the sun and on the vine in the warm sun do not ferment. They simply dry
up and become raisins. It is common to find
Hastings Dictionary of the Bible, vol. 2,
page 32 under Food comments, ‘The best grapes were dried in the sun into
raisins which were compressed into zimmuk or cakes
(Abigail brought 100 such cakes to David 1Sam. 25:18)…A portion of the
grape-harvest is used in making artificial honey or dibs, the juice expressed
from the grape being boiled into a syrup.
“The surfaces of ripe grapes are covered
with large numbers of yeasts, molds, and bacteria, including the true wine
yeast. Grape juice would ferment with the aid of the wild yeasts, but it is
usually inoculated with a selected strain of wine yeasts after adding sulphur dioxide to suppress the other organisms,”
Encyclopedia Britannica, 1963 edition volume 23, page 666.
Some yeast cells are in the grape, but
mostly outside, on the skins. How did they get there? From the air, and they are
in greater concentration in the summer. Washing in cold water does not remove
all the yeast cells, and exposure to air continually adds more. Thus,
fermentation of grapes can be controlled by several processes.
WINE IS LEAVENED GRAPE JUICE
The leavening process in breads depends
upon the yeasts’ working with sugar to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. The
“fizz” of the carbon dioxide is what makes the bread rise. In the fermentation
process of grape juice, the yeast (may have been added or come from the outside
of the grape) works with grape sugar to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide.
During alcoholic fermentation, the sugars of the grapes are converted to
alcohol and carbon dioxide.
In many regions the grapes are in such good
condition and contain such an adequate microflora of
their own yeasts, that neither antiseptics nor yeast cultures are required.
This was probably the situation at Yahshua’s time when pollutants were low. In
the finished product, the carbon dioxide (a gas) escapes, but the alcohol
remains. The resulting wine is leavened grape juice.
THE ACTION OF YEAST
Yeast cells are living plant organisms and
when in contact with sugar and moisture, will grow. The yeast cells obtain
their nourishment from the sugar which allows them to grow and multiply. Waste
products are given off by living plants, which here are alcohol and carbon
dioxide. The carbon dioxide is given off as a gas in a bubbling action. When
the concentration of alcohol reaches 15% it kills the yeast cells, which stops
the fermentation process.
The yeast feeds upon the nourishing grape
sugar which is a good food. Neither of the waste products (alcohol and carbon
dioxide) is a food. In the college textbook, Health for Effective Living, by
Johns, Sutton and Webster (McGraw Hill, 1966 ed.) page 378 states: “Because
beverage alcohol is oxidized and energy is liberated, it is sometimes
classified as a food. It is, however, a mistake to classify alcohol with such
important foods as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals salts…
It cannot create new tissue, nor can it repair injured tissue. It has no
protective or regulating functions as have vitamins and minerals. Hence,
alcohol should never be recommended as a food.”
Certainly the Passover emblems should
represent the positive aspect of the Savior’s body and blood. Yahshua told us:
For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is
drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood dwelleth in Me, and I in him. (John 6:55-56
KJ)
Yahshua tells us His flesh is meat indeed
and His blood is drink indeed. He added that unless one eats of His body and
drinks of His blood, there is no life in us. His blood should be represented by
the emblem that is nourishing and has life. Alcohol does not measure up as it
is not considered a nourishing food.
VIRTUES OF GRAPE JUICE
Grapes are recognized as a good food and
the juice of the grape is a healthful drink. . The sugars from the grape are
packed with energy and carry a distinguished taste. Grape juice contains
vitamins which stimulate all the life-giving processes in the human body.
Scripture tells us the life of the flesh is in the blood:
For the life of the flesh is in
the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement
for your souls; for it is the blood that maketh an
atonement for the soul. (Leviticus
17:11 KJ)
Only be sure that thou eat not the blood; for the blood is the life, and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh. (Deuteronomy
12:23 KJ21)
PASSOVER A SOLEMN TIME
In the Passover Memorial, the cup assuredly
represents the saving life-blood of the Savior. It represents the new life we
have in the Messiah and raises the question of the proper symbol of the blood
of Messiah. Should not the contents of the cup be that which sustains life? The
grape juice also represents the blood of the wicked people in Revelation
14:19-20. Yet, the Passover looks forward to the new life we are promised in
the Savior. In both instances only a fluid that has life could properly represent
the blood.
Grape juice has ingredients that support
and sustain life, fermented wine has no food in it for
alcohol cannot sustain life. We are told to keep Passover in commemoration of
the death of Yahshua, 1Corinthians 11:25-26:
In the same manner also He took the cup when He had supped, saying,
"This cup is the new testament in My blood: this
do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as ye
eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show Yahshua’s death until He come. (1
Corinthians 11:25-26 KJ)
It is the shedding of Yahshua’s blood that
paid for our sins that are past, and now we are to walk in newness of life.
Passover is a very solemn occasion. It is a time we remind ourselves of
In this same time frame many years later
the Savior was seized, put on trial, beaten and impaled for the sins of the world.
Both events took place on Passover. In no way is this a joyous time. With death
in the air, it was a woeful, distressing, gloomy time, as we realize it is our
sins that brought on Yahshua’s death.
WINE FOR JOYFUL CELEBRATING
According to Bible events, wine indicates a
time of merriment, a time of joy and high spirits. A time for celebration and rejoicing. Note in the account of
Abraham’s successful recapture of the women and retrieval of stolen goods from Chedorlaomer, Abraham was honored with a victory dinner by
King Melchizedek. There were no sacrifices, (but Abram tithed to Melchizedek).
This was a victory celebration and had nothing to do with Passover!
Notice the Hebrew word for wine is YAYIN, Fermented wine, known as OINOS in Greek: #3196 yayin from an unused root meaning to effervesce; wine (as fermented); by implication
intoxication:— banqueting, wine, wine(bibber)
And Melchizedek king of
YAYIN FOR JOY AND MERRIMENT
Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine (Heb. yayin) unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let them drink
and forget their poverty, and remember their misery no more. (Proverbs 31:6-7 KJ21)
And wine (Heb. yayin) that makes glad the
heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengthens
man's heart. (Psalms 104:15)
Wine (Heb. yayin) is a mocker, strong drink is
enraging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. (Proverbs 20:1)
Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, "Mark ye now when Amnon's heart is merry with wine (Heb. yayin) (2 Samuel 13:28 KJ)
And thou shalt bestow that money for
whatsoever thy soul lusteth after: for oxen, or for
sheep, or for wine (Heb. yayin), or for strong drink,
or for whatsoever thy soul desireth; and thou shalt eat there before Yahweh thy Elohim,
and thou shalt rejoice, thou and thine household.. (Deuteronomy 14:26 KJ)
The above examples show that wine is a
drink which promotes merriment and is a joyful celebration. This begs the
question, is Passover a time of joy and merriment, or is it a solemn gathering?
FERMENTATION OF GRAPES
There is an erroneous teaching that grape
juice is purified by fermentation and is purified when turned to wine. We are
told the fermentation process kills or takes out the natural leaven which is
said to be in the grape. The fermentation gets rid of the leaven, and thereby
makes wine an acceptable symbol of the blood of the Savior. The entire concept
is not true!
Grape growers know they can leave ripe
grapes on the vine in the warm sun and they do not ferment. They simply dry up
and become raisins. It is a common practice to cut and stack the bunches in
long piles much like a windrow of hay. These windrows are between the rows of
grape vines. The weather may be hot in the day, usually warm all night, but the
grapes do not ferment. They just shrivel and dry and become raisins.
It is true that if the grapes are crushed,
the exposed juice will ferment without the addition of any yeast. Most shoppers
are careful not to squash the grapes they might purchase at the market lest the
grape skins are broken and fermentation takes place.
The
Encyclopedia Britannica, 1963 edition, volume 23, page 666, tells us: “The
surfaces of ripe grapes are covered with large numbers of yeasts, molds, and
bacteria, including the true wine yeast…Grape juice would ferment with the aid
of wild yeasts, but it is usually inoculated with a selected strain of wine
yeast after adding sulphur dioxide to suppress the
other organisms.”
The Britannica says the yeast cells are on
the grape skin. How did they get there? From the air, as there are always some
yeast cells in the air, and they are in greater concentration in the summer.
Washing in cold water does not remove all the yeast cells, and exposure to air
continually adds more.
In leavening bread, yeast acts with sugar
to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. The baking removes both, but the bread
is then called leavened. In the fermentation process in grape juice, the yeast
(or ferment ) works with grape sugar to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. In
the finished product, the carbon dioxide escapes, but the alcohol remains. The
resulting wine is leavened grape juice.
OLD TESTAMENT PATTERN
As already observed, the Old Testament
never mentions wine or grape juice in connection with the Passover ceremony,
first described in Exodus 12. At the time of the Exodus and afterward, the
Passover lamb, unleavened bread and bitter herbs were the only symbols
mentioned in the Old Testament. The Bible mentions no drink with the Old
Testament Passover meal.
Opinions vary, but most scholars contend
the cup was added after the Jews returned from Babylon. It is assumed the
Savior picked up on this tradition and instituted the cup the same night He was
betrayed. A perusal of the word “wine” in the Old Testament reveals there are
ten words that are translated wine from the Hebrew, and only two from the Greek
New Testament. The Hebrew words are as follows under Strong’s numbering system:
YAYIN is the most common word for wine along with shekar (strong drink). These terms are frequently used
together, and they are employed irrespective of whether the writer is
commending wine and strong drink as desirable or warning against its dangers. Yayin is used 83
of the 138 times for wine, and is generally presumed to be fermented grape
juice and intoxicating.
3196-Yayin: To effervesce (Strong’s);
what is pressed out (Young’s Analytical Concordance); that which yields wine;
(Smith’s Bible Dictionary)
8492-Tirosh, must or fresh grape juice;
just squeezed out, (new or sweet)
7941-Shekar, intensely alcoholic, made
from grapes, grain, dates-beer?
3342-Yekeb, wine-vat
2562-(Chaldee) chamar, corresp. to 2561 wine
1660-Gath, wine-press for holding grapes
5435-Sobeh, drink, drunken
2561-Chemer, from 2560, wine as fermenting. Chamar,
thick sticky (mixed) syrup, Smith’s
Bible Dictionary says the pure blood of the grape, red wine.
6071-Asis must, fresh grape-juice, new,
sweet wine, that which flows from the vat before treading begins.
6025-Enab, to bear fruit
It is readily apparent no clear conclusion
can be assumed from the various words translated wine in the Old Testament.
There is no clear agreement on the exact meaning of fermented or unfermented
from the Hebrew words. The context and usage of the word in Scripture must be
relied upon.
Except for the Hebrew yayin and shekar, the other words could
easily be understood as unfermented or reconstituted grape juice. Shekar is said to
be from either grapes or grains like wheat and barley and probably represents
an alcoholic drink such as beer.
Both tirosh or asis are probably the most likely
words equivalent to our English “must.” Must is the fresh juice squeezed from
the grape as it first flows from the vat before the treading begins. Chamar could also
indicate a sweet syrup made from grapes and unfermented.
When we read in some commentary or history
alleging that upon their return from Babylon, the Jews added wine to the
observance of Passover, we must wonder what Hebrew word was used for the drink.
With the exception of yayin and shekar,
all of the words we have examined could possibly refer to unfermented grape
juice.
NEW TESTAMENT WORDS FOR WINE
There are two words in the New Testament
which must be examined and properly understood. The first is found only once as
wine, on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came and caused much
excitement. Each one heard the evangel in his own tongue:
Cretans and Arabians--we hear them speak in our own tongues the
wonderful works of Yahweh. And they were all amazed and were in doubt, saying
one to another, "What meaneth this?” Others
mocking said, "These men are full of new wine (Greek, gleukos)." (Acts 2:11-13 KJ)
1098-Gleukos, must, new wine. This is the
only place where gleukos appears as wine in the King James Bible. It apparently can be an inebriating
drink, although it is considered freshly squeezed juice of the grape.
3631-Oinos, equivalent to the Hebrew, yayin. Unger’s
Bible Dictionary says, “Comprehending every sort of wine.” Young’s says, “wine,
grape juice.” Smith’s Bible Dictionary simply says, “wine.” From these and
other sources, oinos can be a generic term and mean either grape juice or fermented wine depending
upon the context. Mathew 9:17 clearly implies grape juice when used with the
word “new” in the following:
Neither do men put new wine (oinos) into old
wineskins, else the wineskins burst and the wine runneth out and the skins perish. But they put new wine (oinos)
into new wineskins, and both are preserved. (Matthew 9:17 KJ) See also Mark 2:22 and Luke 5:37-38.
Examples of oinos as fermented wine is found in the following:
And be not drunk with wine (oinos), wherein is
excess; but be filled with the Spirit, (Ephesians
5:18 KJ)
Likewise must the deacons be serious, not doubletongued,
not given to much wine (oinos), not greedy for filthy
lucre, (1 Timothy 3:8 KJ)
YAHSHUA’S EXAMPLE
Perhaps the best guide we have in learning
what should be used for the Passover is to study the Savior’s actions and see
what we can learn from His example. Surely He would show us the proper way we
are to remember His death.
And as they were eating, Yahshua took bread and blessed it and broke it,
and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body." And
He took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink ye
all of it; for this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many
for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of
this fruit of the vine until that
Day when I drink it new with you in My Father's Kingdom." (Matthew 26:26-29 KJ21)
And as they ate, Yahshua took bread, and blessed and broke it, and gave
it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." And He took the
cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank of it.
And He said unto them, "This is My blood of the new testament, which is
shed for many. Verily I say unto you, I will
drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the Kingdom of Yahweh." (Mark 14:22-25
KJ21)
And when the hour had come, He sat down and the twelve apostles with
Him. And He said unto them, "With desire I have desired to eat this
Passover with you before I suffer; for I say unto you, I will not anymore eat
thereof until it be fulfilled in the Kingdom of Yahweh." And He took the
cup, and gave thanks and said, "Take this, and divide it among yourselves;
for I say unto you, I will not drink of the
fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of Yahweh shall come." And He took
bread, and gave thanks and broke it and gave it unto them, saying, "This
is My body which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me." Likewise
also He took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new testament
in My blood, which is shed for you. (Luke
22:14-20 KJ21)
Note
that in every instance when making reference to the cup Yahshua did not use the
word for wine “oinos.”
Nor did He say the cup held “gleukos.” Instead we read His words were “fruit of the
vine,” which in the Greek is gennema, Strong’s
1081; from 1080; offspring; by analogy produce: fruit , generation.
OINOS (OXOS) VERSUS FRUIT OF THE VINE
An interesting study which may help to
determine what was in the Passover cup is to answer the question whether
Yahshua did indeed drink either of wine or “fruit of the vine” before His
death. He said He would not “drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom
of Yahweh shall come.” Matthew 26:29. Did He drink either of the two before He
died? The one He did NOT drink of would logically be in the cup used at
Passover:
1. First He was offered “oinon” and myrrh,
(Mark 15:22-23) ;
2. He was offered vinegar, “oxos” and gall,
Mat. 27:33;
3.He was then offered sour wine, “oxos”, Luke
23:36; sour wine, “oxos”
Mat 27:48.
4. In John 19:28-30 He thirsted and
received the vinegar (oxos).
“When Yahshua therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is
finished; and He bowed His head and expired.”
After drinking the vinegar (sour wine),
Yahshua passed from the land of the living. There is no record that Yahshua
drank of the “fruit of the vine” while impaled. He finally accepted the vinegar.
Both sour wine and vinegar are from the Greek “oxos” which is a cheap fermented
wine which was usually drunk by the soldiers. Thus, we see that the Savior
drank the intoxicating wine “oinos” just before He died. He did not drink of the “fruit
of the vine” which we conclude was in the Passover cup. He said He would drink
of the “fruit of the vine” in the Kingdom! (Mat. 26:29; Mark 14:25).
To drink the fruit of the vine is obviously
an expression used in the Old Testament in referring to drinking the juice of
the grape. The butler tells his dream to Joseph:
And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them
into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand." (Genesis 40:11 KJ21)
SYMBOLS OF BLOOD IN SCRIPTURE
The Bible recognizes grape juice as blood
in the following verse:
Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine,
he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. (Genesis 49:11KJ21)
The blessings given to Judah are so great
that the hills will be covered with grapevines and so plentiful that animals
can be tethered to them. The garments and clothing of the grape gatherers will
be spattered by the juice of the grapes spurting out, their garments stained the
color of blood. Notice how Yahweh blessed Israel by providing:
Butter of cows and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs and rams of the
breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst
drink the pure blood of the grape. (Deuteronomy
32:14 KJ21)
The pure juice of the grape was given to
the priest in the tithes and offerings:
And this shall be the priest's due from the people, from those who offer
a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep; and they shall give unto the priest the
shoulder and the two cheeks and the maw. The firstfruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and
the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give
him. (Deuteronomy 18:3-4 KJ21)
The word wine is from the Hebrew “tirosh” which is
the freshly pressed juice from the winepress. Tirosh is also used in the
offerings of firsfruits in the following: 2Chronicles
31:4-5; Nehemiah10:37-39, 13:5, 12
The juice of the grape is pictured often in
both Old and New Testaments as blood, both of the righteous and otherwise:
Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah, this that is glorious in His apparel, traveling in
the greatness of his strength? "I that speak in righteousness, mighty to
save." Why art thou red in Thine apparel, and
Thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine vat?
"I have trodden the wine press alone; and of the people there was none
with Me. For I will tread them in Mine anger and trample them in My fury; and
their blood shall be sprinkled upon My garments, and I will stain all My
raiment. (Isaiah 63:1-3 KJ21)
And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to
him that sat on the cloud, "Thrust in thy sickle and reap; for the time
has come for thee to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." And he
that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth, and the earth was
reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in Heaven, he also
having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, who had power
over fire, and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying,
"Thrust in thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the
earth, for her grapes are fully ripe." And the angel thrust in his sickle
into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great
wine press of the wrath of Elohim. And the wine press
was trodden outside the city, and blood came out of the wine press, even unto
the horse bridles, for the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. (Revelation 14:15-20 KJ21)
And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword with
which He shall smite the nations, and He shall rule them with a rod of iron;
and He treadeth the wine press of the fierceness and
wrath of Almighty Elohim. (Revelation 19:15 KJ21)
WINE…
Wine is given as an example of being driven
or led of a spirit of the basest of carnal human nature. The world will be
under the sway of the great whore of Revelation which the Bible implies are the
effects of drunkenness from wine:
Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment upon the great whore who sitteth upon many waters, with whom the kings of the
earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been
made drunk with the wine of her fornication. (Revelation 17:1-2 KJ21)
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication;
and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the
merchants of the earth have waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies
[pleasures]. (Revelation 18:3 KJ21)
And there followed another angel, saying, "Babylon is fallen!
Fallen is that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of
the wrath of her fornication." (Revelation
14:8 KJ21)
Babylon hath been a golden cup in
Yahweh's hand, that made all the earth drunken; the nations have drunk of her
wine; therefore the nations are mad. (Jeremiah
51:7 KJ21)
Yahweh’s wrath is also likened to wine
which is poured out in His full fury:
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of Elohim,
which is poured out unmixed into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be
tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the
presence of the Lamb. (Revelation
14:10 KJ21)
And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the
nations fell, and great Babylon came to remembrance before Elohim,
to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. (Revelation 16:19 KJ21)
DRINK OFFERING
The drink offering was a part of a hin of wine which was offered with other offerings, but was
not drunk by neither the offeror or the priests:
And with the one lamb a tenth part of flour mingled with a fourth part
of a hin of beaten oil, and a fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink offering. (Exodus 29:40 KJ21)
And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenths part of fine flour
mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto Yahweh for a sweet savor; and
the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, a fourth part of a hin. (Leviticus
23:13 KJ21)
And a fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink
offering shalt thou prepare with the burnt offering
or sacrifice, for one lamb. (Numbers
15:5 KJ21)
And for a drink offering thou shalt offer a
third part of a hin of wine for a sweet savor unto
Yahweh. (Numbers 15:7 KJ21)
PAUL’S CORINTHIAN LETTER
In rehearsing the importance of the
Passover observance, Paul does not say what was in the cup except that it was
the symbol of Yahshua’s blood:
In the same manner also He took the cup when He had supped, saying, This
cup is the new testament in My blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in
remembrance of Me. For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do
show the Master's death until He come. (1
Corinthians 11:25-26 KJ21)
Paul chastises the people at Corinth who
come together to eat the Passover who do so as if it were a festive occasion; a
festival or celebration of pagan gayety and joy instead of a solemn occasion.
He scolds them for selfishly consuming the food before all can gather together.
This means some are left hungry and another “drunken.” This latter adjective is
assumed to prove that alcoholic wine was served at their gatherings:
When ye therefore come together into one place, this is not to eat the
Master's Supper. For in eating, every one taketh his
own supper ahead of another, and one is hungry and another is drunken. (1 Corinthians 11:20-21 KJ21)
The fallacy behind such reasoning is to say
the Greek word methuo means only “to be
drunk.” However, the word is used comparing fullness of drink to fullness of
food. The sense is better fitted to mean satiated, rather than drunken. The
overfilled man is compared to the underfilled man.
Adam
Clarke points out in his commentary: “The people came together, and it
appears brought their provisions with them; some had much, others had less;
some ate to excess, others had scarcely enough to suffice nature. ‘One was
hungry, and the other was drunken, methuei, was
filled to the full;’ this is the sense of the word in many places of
Scripture.”
Commentators have pointed out that Paul is
very careful about not stating wine was in the cup in his dissertation from
1Corinthians 11:18-34. Not once in 16 verses does he mention wine was in the
cup, nor does he state exactly it was. Yahshua said it was juice of the grape.
PRESERVING GRAPE JUICE
There is an erroneous, but prevailing
opinion, that grape juice cannot be kept from the fall of the year until the
next spring. Several years ago a study was made by a Sacred Name group to
determine whether grape juice could be preserved from the fall until the
following spring. It was an unbiased study, but most were predisposed to settle
on wine as the drink for Passover.
Questionnaires were sent to both wine and
grape juice suppliers asking the following:
1. If the juice of grapes were properly sealed in an air-tight container,
would it ever ferment and turn to wine or vinegar through natural enzymes? If
so, how much time would elapse?
2. If it is possible today to avert fermentation, would it have been
possible 2,000 years ago in Palestine?
3. We are informed grape juice could have been preserved for a period of
nine or so months by placing the freshly squeezed juice in wineskins, sealing
them with beeswax. Could this be possible?
As might be expected the responses were
evenly divided; grape juice suppliers were positive in replying grape juice
could be preserved for prolonged periods. Wine manufacturers were skeptical. A
grape juice supplier added it would be very possible to preserve grape juice in
Palestine 2,000 years ago for the grapes were a very sweet variety, over 35 Brix. Also, air
pollution was much less than today. Airborne spores and dust were less, with
minimal contamination likely even with their primitive methods. This reply was
from a Jewish company. Many tombs of the Egyptian Pharaohs have been opened to
reveal a great deal of preserved food still palatable in that torrid climate.
Israel grew up in Egypt and would be familiar with food preservation.
Those favoring wine would be skeptical of
the above report if that were all we could offer; one might not be convinced.
There are a few more facts we must add to the occasion. If one is personally
opposed to drinking wine for any purpose he/she has no right to instill that
opinion as the final conclusion to a Biblical answer. Yahweh’s word must
prevail.
PRESERVATION ANCIENTLY
“Unfermented grape juice is a very
difficult thing to keep without the aid of modern antiseptic precautions, and
its preservation in the warm and not over-cleanly conditions of ancient
Palestine was impossible,” so reads the The International
Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. 5, page 3086. Many people believe this is
a true statement without ever checking into the facts. The entire concept is
wrong! Note the following account by Josephus tells of the preservation of
fruit and grain by the Jews at the fortress Masada:
”Here was laid up corn in large quantities,
and such as would subsist men for a longtime; here was also wine and oil in
abundance, with all kinds of pulse and dates heaped up together; all which Eleazar found there, when he and His Sicarii got possession of the fortress by treachery. These fruits were also fresh and full
ripe, and not inferior to such fruits newly laid in, although they were
little short of a hundred years from the laying (of) these provisions (by
Herod), till the place was taken by the Romans; nay, indeed, when the Romans
got possession of those fruits that were left, they found them not corrupted
all that while; nor should we be mistaken if we supposed that the air was here
the cause of their enduring so long.” Josephus, Jewish Wars 7,8,4, William Whiston, Josephus
Complete Works, p.599.
BAD WINE
A general misconception is that ancient
peoples had no problem preserving fermented wine as compared to unfermented
grape juice. The truth is fermented wines are subject to a number of infections
which allow them to become acid, malodorous and moldy, or turn into vinegar. Pliny’s Natural History, p. 14, 26,
states, “it is a peculiarity of wine among liquids to go moldy or else to turn
into vinegar, and whole volumes of instructions how to remedy this have been
published.” The discovery of
pasteurization has changed all this.
Marcus Cato (234-150 B.C.E.) cautioned
wine-buyers to test the wine in jars within three days to assure it was neither
musty nor sour. This shows how quickly wine is subject to turn sour or musty.
To new wine, boiled-down must from untrod grapes, or
salt or marble dust, resin was to be used to help preserve wine. Other authors
suggest preservatives such as lime, sulphur fumes, or
crushed iris. The use of all these ingredients shows that preservation of wine
was more complex than many assume.
PRESERVATION OF FRUIT OF THE VINE
As already mentioned, grape juice contains
two leading ingredients, glucose or grape sugar and albumen, both of which
favor the fermentation process. The decaying of the albumen, which is found in
the lining of the skin and in the envelope of the seed of the grape, affords
conditions for the multiplication of yeast germs which mix with those already
present in the air and release a chemical enzyme capable of breaking down the
grape sugar into two forms ethyl alcohol, and carbon dioxide gas. Four major
methods are used to preserve grape juice fresh and unfermented:
1. Boiling the juice down to a syrup
2. Separation of the fermentable pulp by
filtration
3. Cold storage such as a pool of water
4. Sulphur fumigation
before sealing
Sulphur fumigation is widely used to prevent fermentation. Jars are nearly filled with
unfermented grape juice, then burning sulphur dioxide
in the empty portion, and sealing the jars quickly while the sulphur fumes are present. One can also pour the juice into
jars heavily treated with sulphur fumes, then seal
jars.
Columella, On Agriculture, 120,1. describes the
cold storage, “Before the grape-skins are put under the press, take from the
vat some of the freshest possible must and put it in a new wine-jar; then daub
it over and cover it carefully with pitch, that no water may enter in. Then
sink whole flagon in a pool of cold, fresh water so that no part of it is above
the surface. Then after 40 days take it out of the water. The must will then
keep sweet for as much as a year.” He adds, “for as long as it is properly
cold, so long will it remain in good condition.”
A widely publicized formula for keeping the
must or first juice to be collected from the grape is often quoted in other
biblical sources by Cato:
“If you wish to keep grape juice through
the whole year, put the grape juice in an amphora, seal the stopper with pitch,
and sink in the pond. Take it out after thirty days; it will remain sweet the
whole year.”
MORE PROOFS OF GRAPE JUICE
Note the influence of the Roman Catholics
in the following admission from The
Jewish Encyclopedia. 1904 edition, s,v, “J-sus,” vol 5, p. 165:
“According to the synoptic Gospels, it
would appear that on the Thursday [?] evening of the last week of his life J-sus with his disciples entered Jerusalem in order to eat
the Passover meal with them in the sacred city; if so the wafer and wine of the
mass or the communion service then instituted by Him as a memorial would be the
unleavened bread and the unfermented
wine of the Seder service.”
Christian groups admit the proper
ingredient in the cup is unfermented juice of the grape:
The
Ante-Nicene Fathers (Grand Rapids, 1978), vol. 8a, pp.532-533
A heavenly voice instructs the local Bishop
Plato, saying: “Read the Gospel and bring as an offering the holy bread; and
having pressed three clusters from the
vine into a cup, communicate with me as the [Sovereign Master Yahshua]
showed us how to offer up when He rose from the dead on the third day.” Acts
and Martyrdom of St. Matthew the Apostle.
The use of unfermented wine is
well-documented especially among such Eastern Churches as the Abyssinian
Church, the Nestorian Church of Western Asia, the Christians of St. Thomas in
India, the Coptic monasteries in Egypt, and the Christians of St. John in
Persia, all of which celebrated the [Master’s] Supper with unfermented wine made either with fresh or dried grapes. J-sus and Wine, Samuele Bacchiocchi, pp.
50.
Summary of “Wine or Grape Juice for
Passover”
> A cup or drink is a man-made addition for the Old Testament Passover.
> The drink offering was never consumed by the priest.
> Both fermented wine and unfermented Grape Juice need special attention
to be preserved. Wine can turn to vinegar, as can grape juice.
> Nowhere in the New Testament do we find the cup contained oinos.
> “Fruit” is the produce, “wine” is a
by-product.
> Grape juice is a symbol of blood and is so stated in Scripture.
> Would not the “days” of UNLEAVENED” include both bread and drink?
While this study shows the unfermented
juice of the grape should be the contents of the Passover cup, we are not
against drinking fermented wine. But we are warned by Scripture against
drunkenness. Neither should we flaunt drinking strong drink before others who
may be offended, 1Thessalonians 5:22.
For more information on wine and grape
juice, a good source is WINE IN THE BIBLE, by Samuele Bacchiocchi, Biblical Perspectives, Berrien Springs, Michigan 49103
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